Cairo is divided into different parts. There is Old Cairo, the Cairo that holds traditions of our ancestors, the likes of Imam Shafi’ee, Ibn Hajr, Zakariyya al-Ansari. It is marked by mosques over a thousand years old. In Old Cairo lie buried the masters of hadith and the fuqaha of Hanafi, Shafi’ee, Maliki, and Hambali madhabs. Today, these areas are known as “sha’bee,” the poor man’s land! The place where you still find fresh milk and cheap organic eggs. Passing on these streets you are still greeted by ‘As-Salamu ‘Alaikum’ and a smile!
Then, there is New Cairo - the Cairo of the educated, affluent, Egyptians where they have clubs, Western food chains, grocery stores, hotels, the area where Westerners live and tourists visit. In this area poor Egyptians come from the “balad” (the poor villages) to make enough money to feed their families “back home.”
Much of the Old Cairo is named after two:
- the Prophet’s wives
- the family of the Prophet which came and settled in Egypt over the ages
One of these areas is knows as Sayyida ‘Aisha. In this area rests our great imam as-Shafi’ee whose grave I visited some time ago. The neighborhood (”hayy” in Arabic) is known as “Hayy as-Shafi’ee.” In this dingy, old, crowded neighborhood is an area called at-Tunisi. In that area lives an old man. That’s who I will talk about.
Searching for his masjid you will have to ask shop owners and passers by for directions. When you will take his name, the person will hold his head back, smile, and say, ‘Sheikh Usama Abdul-Azeem! ‘ you could feel the excitement in their voice! It reminds one of the hadith that when Allah loves someone, He tells Jibreel to love him, who tells the angels to love him, and subsequently the inhabitants of earth love him.
Sheikh Usama Abdul-Azeem, the old man, lives and teaches not far from Imam Shafi’ee’s resting place in an inconspicuous, rather small and old masjid.
Many consider him the greatest living “saint” of Egypt (Arabic: ‘aabud Ahl il-Misr).
He is not an ignorant, ranting story-teller who collects every weak and rejected hadith and incredible tales to make people emotional, but is a former head of the Dep. of Usul al-Fiqh at al-Azhar University. He is upon the aqeeda of the early Muslims and is not an Ashari-Maturidi. His istiqama is testified to by the faculty of al-Azhar!
If I were to say that this old man reminded me of what the Sahaba and early Muslims were like, I would not be exaggerating!
If you want to see some of the worship and taqwa you may have heard and read about the early Muslimss in Dhahabi’s Siyar or Abu Nuaim’s Hiulya, come see it in this old sheikh!
Let me relate to you some of what I have seen of him and some of what I know of him so maybe it will motivate you and maybe you would realize that there is taqwa and imam left in this world, that Ahl us-Sunna has scholars of immense zuhd and taqwa in it’s ranks, that among our scholars are the leftovers of the early Muslims (baqaya min as-salaf)!
Probably in late sixties or early seventies, the sheikh is a strict follower of the Sunna. He has a full white beard and wears a white thawb and imama.
He is a Shafi faqih and usuli, but the focus of his teachings is on iman, zuhd, taqwa, istighfaar, taqwa, love of Allah, and raqaiq. He also teaches ahkam and has a majlis for issuing fatwa after Jumuah prayers. People learn suluk from him. They learn love of Allah, iman, taqwa, and ibada from him. His tarbiyya is based on the writings of Ibn ul-Qayyim, Ibn al-Jawzy, and Ibn Rajab: pure tawhid combined with suluk and zuhd of Ahl us-Sunna.
He does not shout when delivering the khutba, his voice is normal and you can actually count the number of words he says as he speaks slowly (that’s how the Prophet’s speech was described by the Sahaba).
But, his words transport you into another world. When he speaks it is as if Allah is above him, death is behind him, Janna is to his right, and Naar is to his left. Every word he utters goes to the heart. When he says “Subhana” you can feel…”Allah is perfect!”
Ramadan…! In Ramadan he begins ‘Isha about an hour after it’s time (delaying ‘Isha was what the Prophet recommended) . He then prays 11 rak’aahs of Tarawih according to Sunna. In MOST places in the world the Sunna of Tarawih is only discussed, this old sheikh actually fulfills it. He prays the Tarawih as close as it can get to the Prophet’s qiyam ul-lail.
In Tarawih, he usually completes the Quran more than six times, three of those in the last ten days! All this in 11 rak’ah!!!
One time it is said that he kept on reciting the Quran unaware the time for Fajr was close. As a result, everyone missed suhur
It is said that in Ramadan he sleeps no more than three hours a day!
And Masha-Allah, how does he pray! His ruku is as long as his qiyam, and his sujud is likewise - that’s how the Prophet prayed!
One feels the joy of worship behind this old man! Many testify they tasted the sweetness of ibada for the first time in his company!
His face sparkles with nur and you find it hard to fix a gaze on his face.
His khutba today was full of passion, love, fear, sorrow, and joy. It reminded me of the sermons of Sheikh Abdul-Qadir. He spoke of the prayers of the ambiya, asking istighfar from Allah. He spoke of tawassul with the Names and Attributes of Allah. Bushy bearded young and old men with white thawbs and skull caps found it hard to hold back their tears. Then he spoke of Layla tul-Qadr and the du’a the Prophet taught to Aisha.
Masha-Allah, what a beautiful and moving explanation of the du’a! I am deliberately keeping back the content of what he said, as it has to be experienced in the right environment to have an affect. It is like listening to Quran recited in the darkness of Fajr in the middle of a desert. You have to be there to feel it!
You know, that feeling the Prophet spoke of, of valuing your iman so much that you hate to return to kufr, the sweet and pure joy of feeling that Allah is close and you are His slave, one feels it in his words.
He reminded me of the hadith of the Prophet in which he described a wali: someone who reminds you of Allah when you see him!
There is much that can be written and said, but time is short as I am preparing to leave for the US in a few days. I hope what has been said is enough. If you get an opportunity to come visit him, then do so. Maybe your iman will be renewed and love of Allah will enter your heart!
I beg Allah not to deprive us of the blessings of Layla tul-Qadr, to accept our deficient prayers and fasts, to forgive us our sins and shortcomings, for indeed He is al-Afu who loves to pardon. O Allah, please pardon us!
Ameen Ya Rabb al-’Aalameen.
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